Birds of a Feather
by diAngelo57
Summary: It's been a month since Robin de Noir left Moonacre Valley for London, and no one has heard a word from him since. Maria, fearing the worst, sets out on a fantastical journey to find him, and discovers a dark secret that could mean the end of the Merryweather/de Noir peace. Can she find the young heir in time? Sequel to the Bird Prince.
1. Chapter 1

**Hellooo :D After much thought, I've finally decided to do a sequel , and here it is! I can't believe that The Bird Prince is almost two years old; After a lot of polishing and chipping, my writing has greatly improved since you last read. I'm very excited about working on this story and I have a lot of ideas about where the plot is going. Enjoy!**

* * *

Maria sighed, swatting away another fly that continued to buzz around her ear. The heat of the summer only seemed to draw them in, especially around the stables.

She shifted, gently patting Periwinkle, her pony's, cheek. The mare nickered and stomped her leg, eager to be ridden.

"I know, girl, I know. You've been eager to get out since the weather changed. I'd mount you now if it weren't for this dress," Maria referred to her corset and hoop skirt. "I am so bloody sick of these awful things! They're hot and weighty, and do no wonders for being outdoors."

Periwinkle snorted, as if to agree.

"I promise, as soon as Digweed comes to saddle you up, I'll ride you."

As if on que, the bumbling gatekeeper came shuffling through and greeted her with a small bow. "Miss Maria. You be wishing to ride today, no?"

Maria twitched at his bad grammar, but smiled and nodded. "Yes, I would."

Digweed set about arranging Periwinkle's bridle and saddle, making idle small talk as he went. "You heard from Master Robin lately, missus? I hears he's been gone for quite some time now."

Maria froze and shook her head no. "I-I, no I haven't. Last time he wrote, he said he was busy helping his father." Indeed, the bird boy had not written for several weeks, something Maria deemed out of the ordinary for her faithful suitor. In the first week of absence, the young de Noir hadn't stopped blabbering about his adventures in the city, writing to her nearly every day. Now, Maria was lucky to receive indirect news of his wellbeing from Robin's friends.

"I wouldn't worry, Missus. 'E's probably just busy with 'is father."

"I bloody well hope so. If its for another reason he is going to hear it from me!"

Digweed chuckled and helped her mount the small mare. "Now remember, your uncle wants you home in time for tea. And don't wander far!"

"I wont!" Maria clucked her tongue and Perwinkle set off at a gallop, heading towards the woods.

* * *

The speckled pony carried her far into the belly of the forest, into the hollow where she had first met Robin. The thicket had become a sort of secret hide away for her since he had left, and only Maria and a few special persons knew how to map their way in to find it. Speaking of whom...

"Hey, Maria!"

Maria turned to see William and the rest of Robin's friends jumping and flipping down from the trees. She grinned. In the time that the young de Noir had been absent, she had gotten to know the rest of his gang quite well and had taken to joining them in the woods all day rather than sitting indoors with Mrs. Heliotrope learning French. At first, she had been hesitant about being around them, the memory of them attacking her in the carriage all too fresh. But as time wore on, Maria discovered that most of them were not half bad, bordering on the line of decent.

"Hello, Will!"

William, of course, she trusted most out of all of them, with him being Robin's best friend. She knew that if any of his friends ever tried to lay a hand in her, Will included, Robin would personally strangle them.

The thought made her chuckle.

"Oi, what are you laugh'in at, princess?"

Marucs, the cunning and witty one of the bunch, strolled up beside her, a large grin plastered on his face. He had been the second de Noir to gain her trust after Robin had personally introduced her to him not long after Grace's attacks. Not unlike William, Marcus dressed in all black, from the hat on his wavy blonde hair to the tips of his boots, and adorned a feather that hung from the collar of his jacket. It was perhaps the familiarity of his outfit that puts Maria at ease.

"Nothing, nothing," Maria slid off of Periwinkle and patted her muzzle affectionately before tying her reins to a tree.

Fawkes, a tall and dashing man, tipped his hat at her in greeting before sniffing, "You know, one day you'll actually have to learn how to ride a _real_ horse. That pony will simply not do for a future de Noir bride."

The other few boys oooh'd and snickered at his implication. Maria scowled, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink.

"Periwinkle is just _fine_, thank you very much! She's much better than any of your wild, savage stallions."

The corners of Fawkes's lips twitched and his eyes gleamed with amusement at her reaction. "That pony is fat and slow, and you know it."

Maria huffed and gazed away from him, turning to face William and Marcus.

"He's right, you know," Marcus muttered softly.

William roughly elbowed him in the ribs. "Speaking of our oh-so-high-and-mighty groom to be, how is Robin?"

Maria frowned. "I haven't heard from him in at least a month. Hasn't he written to you?"

The two men exchanged glances. Marcus reached into his outer coat pocket and pulled out a beaten and worn looking envelope.

"We recieved this today," William began. "It was in very bad condition and some of the ink has been smeared, like it was exposed to rain."

Maria took the packet from him and saw that it was indeed worse for wear. She flipped it over and saw that the wax seal had been messily broken and a another glob of flattened wax was melted beside it, as if it had been open and re-sealed before arrival.

"We think it was intercepted," continued Marcus. "Read the letter. It was dated September 21st, about four weeks ago."

Maria slipped her hand inside and pulled out the folded sheet of paper.

_'September 21st, 1844._

_William, my friend and follower, I haven't much time so I will skip the pleasantries and cut to the chase. Something is gravely wrong. I noticed it a few weeks back, when father and I were sorting out legal matters concerning my cousin's death. We are being followed. I don't know by who or why, but I have seen the man behind it. Only a glimpse, mind you, but a glimpse nonetheless. Beware the man in the dark tailcoat. He is a danger to us all. And please be sure to keep this quiet, as I have no idea who I can trust. Keep this discussion between a small group; Marcus, Fawkes, you know the lot. And whatever you do, no matter how this turns out, you protect her._  
_ ~Robin deNoir'_

As Maria read further and further through the letter her eyes grew wide with alarm and concern.

"We need to go after him."

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**Well there you guys go :3 I hope that wasn't too cheesy. I don't believe I mentioned William, Marcus, and Fawkes in the last book, so it'll be exciting to get to know them throughout the story. Also, I did a little research on ****_The Little White Horse _****and found out that it's set in 1842, as is the movie (this fic is obviously set two years later). So I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Please remember to follow/favorite and review! Seriously, though. Reviews are like drugs for authors...**

**Also, a special thanks to Tanoshii Shurui; without your review, I might have never written a sequel.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it's been a while, guys :)**

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "That's exactly what he wouldn't you to do."

"I don't care. He's in danger again and he needs our help."

"So what's your plan, then?"

Maria frowned. She hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

"How about this," Fawkes stepped in, adjusting his top hat, "Will, Marcus, we all know that Maria isn't going to stop nagging us until we agree to let her in, so it's pointless to resist."

Marcus and William nodded hesitantly.

"So," Fawkes continued, "we might as well spend our time creating a plan. Obviously we're going to need steeds, supplies, and enough money to last us in London, but we can take care of all that back at the clan. What we need to focus on is how we're going to convince Sir Benjamin to let us take Maria along."

"That's not going to happen," Maria said flatly. "He's much too overprotective. No, the only way is for me to sneak out."

-

That night, when she was positive her uncle and the rest were asleep, Maria packed her luggage trunk and wrote a short, quick note to Loveday and Ms. Heliotrope.

'_Dear Uncle, Loveday, Marmaduke, and Ms. Heliotrope,_

_Yesterday I recieved a dire message from Robin. He and Mr. de Noir are in danger. I've left for London with William, Robin's right hand man. Don't worry, we have enough money to last us about a month, and I've taken Wrolf with me for protection. Marmaduke, please take care of Serena whilst I'm gone. I love you all._  
_~Maria'_

She decided to exclude the fact that Marcus and Fawkes were coming along too, since she knew her uncle would be buzzing with worry and hostility with the knowledge that she was traveling with one boy, let alone three.

Wrolf whined at her side and nudged her legs.

"I know, Wrolf, we're going," Maria petted the great black dog's head. "Now remember, you can't change into your lion form in front of people when we reach the city, okay? People don't react well to giant lions roaming around freely."

Wrolf seemed to pout, but he wagged his tail and licked her hand.

Maria smiled at him and pulled the hidden lever behind her fireplace. "Okay, let's go then."

She and the dark beast stepped into the shadowy passageway and closed the hidden door behind them. For a long while, the only things Maria could hear were the sounds of her boots shuffling against the musty stone floor and the padding of Wrolf's paws behind her. Guiding herself along the rough, rock wall she walked on and on, feeling the tunnel slope up, down, then up again, twisting and turning until she could finally hear leaves crunching under foot.

The air became clearer and easier to breathe, and Maria sighed in relief when she could make out the silhouette of the trap door that led to the outside world. She hurried over and dropped her luggage bag so that she could unlock the door, and slid a thin, iron key into the padlock securing the door. It unlocked with a creak, and Wrolf bounded out into the forest immediately, wagging his tail. Maria giggled and followed, being sure to shut the door behind her.

From then on, there wasn't much distance to cover until they reached the dirt road that led to London. Fawkes, Marcus, and William met her just outside the de Noir fortress, carriage and horse in tow.

"At your service, m'lady," Fawkes, who was perched on the roof of the carriage, nimbley flipped backwards and landed neatly on his feet. He promptly relieved Maria of her luggage and loaded it in under one of the plush, leather seats. He grinned and winked lazily.

Maria rolled her eyes. "You're so much like a cat it's a wonder people don't call you Tybalt."

Fawkes grinned cheekily and opened the carriage door with a flourish. "After you, _your majesty_." He out a hand.

Maria scowled and lightly smacked him on the head before jumping into the carriage. "I can do it myself."

Marcus and William sniggered as Fawkes nursed his reddish brown locks.

"That's not very nice, you know-" he was cut off as Wrolf came bounding up and took a mighty leap, landing in the carriage and making it rock on its wheels.

Maria and William laughed while Marcus shoved the big black dog over to make room for Fawkes.

Fawkes rolled his eyes and shook his head before leaping in with his friends. "By the way, do we even know where exactly in London Robin is?"

Maria frowned. She hadn't thought of that.

"I wouldn't worry," William smiled timidly. "In case you've forgotten, Robin did teach _some_ of us tracking skills."

Maria smiled at the boys' chattering. Perhaps this journey wouldn't be so terrible. She stroked Wrolf's fur thoughtfully with one hand and laughed with the others as the carriage began to move, carrying them towards the unknown.

**Cookies for whoever got my prince of cats joke. Please remember to follow and review! Love you guys, and stay classy!**


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